Garbage collection is a major aspect of waste disposal for both residential homeowners and commercial businesses. It is important to understand that trash is typically collected in bins or from dumpsters, and then taken to landfills. Proper disposal is important for the environment, as is daily recycling. Below you will find some helpful terms to assist you with fully understanding garbage collection and the services that assist with this all over the nation.

Homeowners generally put out their trash cans once per week for pickup services. Each town and city is different in terms of which days garbage collection will take place. Usually, recycling services take place the same day. If your municipal garbage truck comes by on Fridays, for instance, you put your trash out in the morning by the curb so it’s ready for pick up.
Garbage collection occurs in every community, a free service offered by your town or city. Food by-products and other products we use, must be disposed of. Some people have compost piles in their backyards for biodegradable food items, like banana peels and coffee grounds. However, all the other stuff we generate, from food packaging to diapers, ends up in the trash.
Garbage collectors will accept many items for removal, including regular trash bags and cans full of garbage. They will also take furniture, as some communities specify that you can put out one large piece of furniture for removal per week. They will sometimes haul construction junk, scrap metal and leaf refuse, but they generally will not accept computers, TVs and appliances for disposal. They also will not accept hazardous waste, like paint thinner, because solid and oil waste must be safely disposed of in other ways, generally at a dump or landfill in your area.
Recycle services are closely related to garbage collection, but items are placed into separate bins, one for each item, including paper, plastic, glass and tin items like cans. Recycling collectors manage these items by placing them into separate containers for transport to a recycling facility.
The next time you put your recycling bins and trash cans curbside, remember that’s the first step in a long chain of garbage collection that ends in disposal at the dump.